Matt Caldwell, a seventh-generation Floridian and a long-time Lee County resident, conceded defeat Monday in his quest to become Florida's commissioner of agriculture.

Although Caldwell, a Republican, topped Democratic first-time candidate Nikki Fried by a landslide on his home turf of Lee County on Election Day, he lost by 6,753 votes in the state-wide race, a margin of victory so slim, it went through two recounts.

A lackluster TV presence and a formidable, charismatic opponent played factors in Caldwell's loss, two political science experts said.

Caldwell garnered 60.6 percent of the vote (171,574 votes) to Fried's 39.4 percent (111,462) in Lee County, though it was the lowest vote total a statewide Republican candidate received in Lee. Statewide, Fried edged Caldwell 50.04 percent (4,032,954 votes) to Caldwell's 49.96 percent (4,026,201 votes).

Even in defeat, Caldwell received a million votes more than outgoing Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam received in 2010 during his first run for the seat.

Caldwell declared victory on election night, as ballots counted several hours after the polls closed had him up by more than 40,000 votes. But over the next several days, as more ballots were tabulated, particularly in South Florida, Fried pulled ahead.

It was the first time a Democrat won a statewide office since Alex Sink became chief financial officer in 2006.

"My guess is one of the big reasons is the under-voting," said Peter Bergerson, a political science professor at Florida Gulf Coast University. "So many people went in to vote for governor and senator but then it dropped off in the other races. That would be one of the reasons."

Nearly 6,000 voters who voted in the Senate race didn't vote in the ag commissioner race in Lee County and 2,000 fewer than in the governor's race. More people in Lee voted in the ag commission race than in the attorney general or CFO races.

"I think on the other side of the coin, I think his opponent had that personality difference," Bergerson said of Fried. "She out-campaigned him over on the east coast. Over here on the west coast, that’s where the Republicans voted for the top two candidates, and then it dropped off on the other races."

Female candidates did well in this year's mid-term election, said Susan MacManus, who retired in May from a 30-year tenure as a political science professor at the University of South Florida.

"She had an appealing ad campaign, particularly with younger voters," MacManus said of Fried.

Fried, who is the first woman to become agriculture commissioner, campaigned on weed, water and weapons. Caldwell had the backing of the gun lobby and big sugar.

"I think female candidates did really well," MacManus said. "More women are running for office. It’s all up and down the ballot. She had a very active campaign. She had the endorsements of a number of sheriffs."

MacManus detected other flaws in Caldwell's campaign that he may have taken his home turf for granted.

"People make the assumption that everybody knows him," she said. "His campaign statewide was not as aggressive as other candidates that ran for statewide office.

"The party itself didn’t put many resources into his campaign. You have to know your name in this state. There are a lot of people who are newcomers. They don’t know your name."

Caldwell also lacked a presence on television compared to Fried, a pro-marijuana lobbyist, MacManus said.

"I didn’t see much evidence of a strong TV presence in Tampa, which is the largest TV market in the state," she said.

Caldwell released a statement of concession at noon Monday, in which he described the electoral process in Democratic-leaning Palm Beach and Broward counties as "abject failures."

Caldwell's combined Palm Beach and Broward County totals of 449,507 votes didn't match Fried's 479,457 in just Broward. She picked up another 340,351 in Palm Beach County.

Caldwell could not be reached for comment Monday but in his concession statement said:

"As I have stated from the onset, I am uninterested in using legal loopholes to win an election. All I have ever expected since Election Day is a full and fair accounting of all legal votes cast, and then respecting the will of the voters. Unfortunately, as a result of the abject failures in Broward and Palm Beach, it has become clear that we may never gain an understanding of what transpired in the hours and days after polls closed, despite the exhaustive efforts of my legal team to get to the truth. To continue this legal challenge would likely require millions of dollars and months to complete without providing any more clarity."

Insinuating a problem with the electoral process served no good, Bergerson said of the first part of Caldwell's concession.

"Show me the proof," Bergerson said. "Those counties have some management problems. I concede there are some problems. But issues of voter fraud or implied voter fraud is really a red herring. It really distracts from voting. Unless someone can provide evidence of it, it’s a disservice to the voting process.

"You have such a tight race. A race that is decided by just a few hundred votes. It’s easier to blame someone else than to accept responsibility for the outcome of the election."

Caldwell's conclusion to his concession statement is here:

"But even more so, the most impressive feature of our republic is the peaceful transfer of power. While history has vindicated that fraud was a serious part of the 1960 Presidential election, the Nation required closure and it would not be well served by prolonged and fractious litigation. The candidates set an example for our conduct and I believe the same is true about our State. Therefore, I will no longer be pursuing a challenge to the outcome of this race. Accordingly, I have called Nikki Fried and notified her of my decision to not pursue the matter any further and I have offered to assist her in any way I can as she takes the office of Commissioner.

"While I will not serve as Florida's next Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services, my campaign was not a loss. Every door knocked, every mile traveled, and every new hand shaken in every corner of the state, has emphasized the immediate and tangible needs of our state's farmers, workers, small business owners, and consumers.

"Thank you all for the privilege. God Bless you and may God continue to bless the Great State of Florida."